Island



UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIoE.

WM. COLEMAN AND S. G. COLEMAN, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

SI-IIIPS BLOCK.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 9,946, dated August 16, 1853.

To all whom t may concern:

Be 1t known that we, WILLIAM COLEMAN and STEPHEN G. COLEMAN, of Providence,

`in the county of Providence andState of Rhode Island, have invented new and useful Improvements in the Construction of Ships Blocks; and we do hereby declare that the saine are fully described and represented in the following specification and the accompanying drawings, letters, figures, and references thereof.

In applying the eye or hook st-aple to a ships block, several methods have been resorted to. In one case a metallic strip has been made to encompass the entire block or cheeks thereof, and to properly receive the block hook, and the sheave pin. The disadvantages and objections attendant on such a modeof connection are fully stated in the specification of Letters Patent granted to us on the third day of February, of the year eighteen hundred and fifty-two. Another method has been to make the eye or hook strap to extend inside of the cheeks and entirely encompass the sheave and support the sheave pin. The object-ions to this plan are also enumeratedl in such specification. A third method, which formed a subject of the said Letters Patent consisted, when the metallic strap entirely encompassed the sheave in placing the metal strap edgewise-that is, with its greatest breadth in the direction of the plane of the axis of the sheave and extending from the sides of the sheave to the outside of the cheeks, when this is combined with the attachment of the cheeks (in segments) to the wider faces of the straps. Notwithstanding this last mentioned method of constructing the block is preferable to others to which allusion has here-inbefore been made, we have invented another improvement which has decided advantages over either, such improvement being hereinafter described.

Of the drawings Figure l, denotes a side and Fig. 2, an edge view of a block constructed on our improved plan. Fig. 3, is a vertical central and transverse section of it, and Fig. 4, is a section taken through the middle of one of the cheeks and parallel to the side of the sheave. Fig. 5, denotes 'an inner edge view of one of the halves of one of the cheeks.

In the said drawings, or in such of them as t-he same are seen, A, and B, represent the two cheeks; C the sheave; D the sheave pin,

and E, F, the wooden connecting pieces that are interposed between the two cheeks and for the purpose of not only keeping them at their proper distance apart but of completing the back and the sheave recess of it.

In our improved block, we do not make use of a strap to extend entirely around the block and encompass the sheave, but we employ a staple or eye G, formed as represented in perspective view in Fig. 6, that is to say, of a metallic rod bent around in the form of an inverted U and having one or more projections a, a, &c., extended at right angles or thereabout, from each of the legs thereof, the projections of one leg being made parallel or thereabout to those of the` other and so that when the eye or hook as the case may be (for the upper part of the vpiece G, may have the shape of a hook given to it if preferable) is inserted on the cheeks of the block; these projections may stand parallel to the side of the sheave.

Te construct each of the cheeks in two halves Z), and plow out or form in the inner edge of each a semi cylindric or other proper shaped groove or recess, as seen at c, in Fig. 5, such being of the form adapted to receive and fit to the leg of the metallic staple. From this groove or channel we bore laterally or form in the semi cheek, a hole or passage (Z, fory the reception of the projection a. When the two semi cheeks areput together, the staple or eye leg is inclosed within them`-one half of it being made Yto extend into one, while the other half is extended into the other part as seen in Fig. 4. The two legs of the staple or eye being thus placed respectively within the two cheeks of i the block, the semi cheeks may be secured to the connect-ion pieces E, F, by cross rivets e, e, or in any other suitable manner. In order to connect the two parts of each of the cheeks together, and afford support to the sheave pin, a metallic rod or rivet f may be passed through them and directly against and under the sheave pin as seen in Fig. t.

It is not essential to our invention, that each of the cheeks should be made in two parts, as it may be constructed of one single piece of wood, and be scored or grooved out on its inner surface so as to receive and support the legs of the staple or eye, but we by no means consider this so good a plan as that represent-ed in the drawings.

The main principle of our invention consists in supporting the staple or eye iron by the wooden cheek'alone without any extension of it around and in contact. with the sheave pin, such contact with the sheave pin being productive of a serious disadvantage in the use of the block, for the water and moisture soon so oxidates the sheave pin and strap when they come together as often to render it exceedingly diicult if not impossible to remove the sheave pin when such may become necessary. Besides this, the extension of the eye or hook strap entirely around the block is a very expensive mode of applying it in comparison with that of connecting the eye to the wood as exhibited in the drawings which make part of this our specification. Comparatively speaking our improvement renders the block much lighter, than blocks as usually constructed with the metallic strap extending entirely around them. Applying the eye staple within and by means of the cheeks as seen in F ig. 4L, alfords to it all the support required.

The method of sustaining the sheave pin by means of cross bearing rods, which at the same time serve to couple together the two the mode of sustaining the sheave pin and connecting the two parts of each cheek, viz., by a metallic rod extended through them `and directly under and against the sheave pin substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof, we have hereto set our signatures this sixteenth day of June,

WILLIAM COLEMAN. STEPHEN G. COLEMAN. Witnesses:

LYcURGUs SAYLES, SAML. W. PECKHAM. 

